Arrest Rate: Percentage of violent and property crimes known to the police that lead to an arrest.

Data Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Uniform Crime Reports

Oregon State Police, State of Oregon Annual Report of Criminal Offenses and Arrests

Washington State Office of Financial Management, Washington State County Criminal Justice Data Book

Geographic Extent: Clackamas County, Clark County, Columbia County, Multnomah County, Skamania County, Washington County, Yamhill County, Oregon, Washington, United States

Geographic Unit: county, state, nation

Date of latest data download: March 25, 2014

Methodology: The Uniform Crime Reporting Program was developed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the 1920s as a means of measuring crime on a national scale from one year to the next. Because state often define similar crimes in different ways, the Crime Index considers only crimes that all state define in the same way. Thus, the Crime Index includes eight categories of crime rather than all reported crimes. Crimes included are violent felonies (homicide, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault) and property felonies (arson, burglary, motor vehicle theft, and larceny/theft) (FBI, 2011).

Average Wage per Job: Average wage per job as a percentage of the U.S. Metro Average.

Data Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Table CA34

Geographic Extent: Clackamas County, Clark County, Columbia County, Multnomah County, Skamania County, Washington County, Yamhill County, Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro MSA, Oregon, Washington

Geographic Unit: MSA, county, state

Date of latest data download: November 18, 2014

Methodology: This indicator is calculated from total wage and salary disbursements divided by wage and salary employment. All jobs for which wages and salaries are paid are counted. Full-time and part-time jobs are counted with equal weight. Thus, the indicator reflects the average salary paid in a given year divided by the total number of jobs, regardless of whether that job is full-time or part-time.

Geographic Extent: Clackamas County, Clark County, Columbia County, Multnomah County, Skamania County, Washington County, Yamhill County, Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro MSA, Oregon, Washington, United States

Geographic Unit: county, MSA, state, nation

Date of latest data download: March 18, 2015

Methodology: The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who is in poverty. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold, then that family and every individual in it is considered in poverty. The official poverty thresholds do not vary geographically, but they are updated for inflation using Consumer Price Index (CPI-U). The official poverty definition uses money income before taxes and does not include capital gains or noncash benefits (such as public housing, Medicaid, and food stamps).

Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) combine data from administrative records, postcensal population estimates, and the decennial census with direct estimates from the American Community Survey to provide consistent and reliable single-year estimates. These model-based single-year estimates are more reflective of current conditions than multi-year survey estimates.

Child Poverty (by race and Hispanic origin): Percentage of children living in poverty.

Data Source: US Census, American Community Survey, Table B17001B-I

Geographic Extent: Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro MSA

Geographic Unit: MSA

Date of latest data download: March 20, 2015

Methodology: The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who is in poverty. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold, then that family and every individual in it is considered in poverty. The official poverty thresholds do not vary geographically, but they are updated for inflation using Consumer Price Index (CPI-U). The official poverty definition uses money income before taxes and does not include capital gains or noncash benefits (such as public housing, Medicaid, and food stamps).

Crime Rate: Rate of violent and property crimes known to the police per 100,000 population.

Data Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Uniform Crime Reports

Oregon State Police, State of Oregon Annual Report of Criminal Offenses and Arrests

Washington State Office of Financial Management, Washington State County Criminal Justice Data Book

Geographic Extent: Clackamas County, Clark County, Columbia County, Multnomah County, Skamania County, Washington County, Yamhill County, Oregon, Washington, United States

Geographic Unit: county, state, nation

Date of latest data download: March 25, 2014

Methodology: The Uniform Crime Reporting Program was developed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the 1920s as a means of measuring crime on a national scale from one year to the next. Because state often define similar crimes in different ways, the Crime Index considers only crimes that all state define in the same way. Thus, the Crime Index includes eight categories of crime rather than all reported crimes. Crimes included are violent felonies (homicide, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault) and property felonies (arson, burglary, motor vehicle theft, and larceny/theft) (FBI, 2011).

Methodology: The graduation rate calculation begins by establishing a cohort of entering 9th graders, allowing the cohort to change over the next four years as students enter or leave in order to determine the percentage of students in the adjusted cohort who earn a regular high school diploma within four years. The Oregon Department of Education has set a target of 100 percent high school graduation in 2024-2025. To meet that goal, they have established graduation targets for the percentage of students to graduate each year. Targets are based on rates from previous years and vary across racial and ethnic groups. The Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction has similar targets, with the goal of reducing proficiency gaps by half by 2017 for all groups.

Homelessness: Rate of people experiencing homelessness per 10,000 population.

Data Source: US Department of Housing and Urban Development

Oregon Housing and Community Services

Washington Department of Commerce

Geographic Extent: Clackamas County, Clark County, Columbia County, Multnomah County, Skamania County, Washington County, Yamhill County, Oregon, Washington, United States

Geographic Unit: county, state, nation

Date of latest data download: March 24, 2014

Methodology: On a selected night once a year, staff and volunteers from each county conduct a survey of homeless persons both in shelters and unsheltered. Shelter counts include emergency shelters and transitional housing. Unsheltered homeless are defined as those living in a place not meant for human habitation.

Methodology: Homeless students, as defined by the McKinney-Vento Act, are "individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence." This definition includes those living in motels, trailer parks, emergency or transitional shelters, or those awaiting foster care placement, in addition to traditionally defined homelessness.

Data Source: US Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of Labor

Geographic Extent: Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro MSA

Geographic Unit: MSA

Date of latest data download: April 10, 2014

Methodology: The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) annually estimates Fair Market Rents (FMR) for 530 metropolitan areas and 2,045 non-metropolitan county FMR areas. FMRs are gross rent estimates. They include the shelter rent plus the cost of all tenant-paid utilities, except telephones, cable or satellite television service, and internet service. The current definition used is the 40th percentile rent in a metropolitan area, the dollar amount below which 40 percent of the standard-quality rental housing units are rented. The 40th percentile rent dollar amount is drawn from the distribution of rents of all units occupied by recent movers (renter households who moved to their present residence within the past 15 months).

In 2014, the Oregon Immunization Program (OIP) adjusted its methodology to improve the consistency and comparability of these rates across the assessment years. When applied to 2008-2013 ALERT IIS data, the result is a 2%-5% drop from previous rates. The revised figures, however, remain within the confidence intervals calculated by the National Immunization Survey (NIS) for Oregon two-year olds UTD rates.

Juvenile Criminal Referral Rate: Rate of youth referred to the police, per 1,000 residents under the age of 18.

Data Source: Oregon Youth Authority

Washington Office of Financial Management

US Department of Justice

Geographic Extent: Clackamas County, Clark County, Columbia County, Multnomah County, Skamania County, Washington County, Yamhill County, Oregon, Washington, United States

Geographic Unit: county, state, nation

Date of latest data download: April 10, 2014

Methodology: Rates as based on the unique number of youth processed by the juvenile justice system in the reporting year. This means that no matter how many offenses a youth committee, the youth is only counted once on the youth report. The youth is categorized by the most serious offense the youth committed during the reporting period and reported in the county that received the most serious offense. Referrals are made for criminal offenses (person, property, controlled substance/alcohol, and other crimes) and non-criminal offenses (alcohol, curfew, less than one ounce, motor vehicle, tobacco, runaway and dependence status) offenses.

Median Household Income (by race and Hispanic origin): The income level that divides the income distribution for a given group of households into two equal groups - half having income above that level and half having income below.

Methodology: The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is a United States health survey that looks at behavioral risk factors. It is managed by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and conducted by the individual state health departments. The survey is administered by telephone and is the world's largest such survey. The data are self-reported. In adults, obesity is defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater. Adults with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 25 – 29.9 are considered overweight. BMI is calculated from a person's weight and height and provides a reasonable indicator of weight categories that may lead to health problems. Obesity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, certain types of cancer, and type-2 diabetes (CDC, 2011). The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS) relies on self-reported data.

Per Capita Income: Total income earned in the region divided by the population.

Data Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis

Geographic Extent: Clackamas County, Clark County, Columbia County, Multnomah County, Skamania County, Washington County, Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro MSA, Oregon, Washington, United States

Geographic Unit: county, MSA, state

Date of latest data download: March 3, 2015

Methodology: Personal income, as reported by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), is the sum of wage and salary disbursements, supplements to wages and salaries, proprietors’ income with inventory and capital consumption adjustments, rental income of persons with capital consumption adjustments, personal dividend income, personal interest income, and personal current transfer receipts, less contributions for government social insurance. The BEA produces annual estimates of personal income for local areas, including county, metropolitan areas, and BEA economic areas. These estimates are designed to be consistent with the national income and product accounts, which are used to estimate Gross National Product (GNP) and other national economic data. The BEA’s personal income measure is a more comprehensive measure of income than the money income measure used by the Census Bureau. Per capita income data is for reseidential gegoraphy. It reflects the income of the people who live in the MSA rather than the employment located in the MSA.

Self-Sufficiency Wage: The amount of income necessary to meet basic needs without public subsidies and without private or informal assistance.

Data Source: Center for Women’s Welfare, School of Social Work, University of Washington

US Census, American Community Survey, Table S1901

Data Limitations: One year estimated of median household income data is not available for Columbia County, Skamania County, and Yamhill County due to small population size.

Geographic Extent: Clackamas County, Clark County, Columbia County, Multnomah County, Washington County, Yamhill County

Geographic Unit: county

Date of latest data download: January 6, 2015

Methodology: The federal poverty standard, developed in 1964, is often criticized as being an inadequate measure of financial stress. Dr. Diana Pearce of the University of Washington has developed a new measure, the Self-Sufficiency Standard. The Self-Sufficiency Standard offers a more complete and realistic picture of the amount of income required to make ends meet. The standard varies according to a number of variables that affect a household’s cost of living. These variables include the cost of housing, transportation, childcare, food, health care and taxes. The standard varies geographically, is calculated on a county-specific basis, and reflects different costs by age of children.

Student Achievement: Percentage of third grade students who meet or exceed math and reading assessment standards.

Data Source: Oregon Department of Education

Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction

Geographic Extent: Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro MSA

Geographic Unit: school district

Date of latest data download: January 10, 2015

Methodology: Annual Measurable Objectives (AMOs), or assessment standards, are targets set for student achievement in the subjects of reading and math, as well as for graduation, attendance and participation. Oregon’s ESEA Flexibility Waiver revised the AMOs for reading and math and also changed the way these AMOs are used in school accountability. School and district Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) is no longer reported. Instead, the new Oregon Report Card provides a 5-level rating for each school (see page 24 for a full description of the school rating system). In Washington, AMOs replace the state uniform bar used under Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) as prescribed in Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). For more detailed information, please refer to pages 119–121 in the Flexibility Request.

Methodology:The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is a United States health survey that looks at behavioral risk factors. It is run by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and conducted by the individual state health departments. The survey is administered by telephone and is the world's largest such survey. The data is self-reported.

Methodology: The Current Population Survey (CPS), jointly sponsored by BLS and the Census Bureau, is a monthly sample survey of about 60,000 households designed specifically to produce the current monthly employment and unemployment data and the annual data on income and poverty for the nation. CPS monthly employment and unemployment estimates are available within a few weeks of the end of the reference period—the calendar week including the 12th of the month. ACS annual employment and unemployment estimates are available about 9 months after the end of the reference year. The monthly CPS estimates are a key input to the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program conducted by BLS, which produces the official labor force statistics for States and substate areas. Employment and unemployment estimates from the ACS and CPS can differ because the surveys use different questions, samples, and collection methods.

Methodology:The air quality index (AQI) was developed by the US Environmental Protection Agency to communicate to the public how polluted the air is currently or how polluted it is forecast to become. As the AQI increases, an increasingly large percentage of the population is likely to experience increasingly severe adverse health effects. The AQI contains six levels of health concern: Good: Air quality is considered satisfactory, and air pollution poses little or no risk; Moderate: Air quality is acceptable: however, for some pollutants there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number of people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution; Unhealthy for sensitive groups: Members of sensitive groups may experience health effects. The general public is not likely to be affected; Unhealthy: Everyone may begin to experience health effects: members of sensitive groups may experience serious health effects; Very unhealthy: Health alert; everyone may experience more serious health effects; Hazardous: Health warnings of emergency conditions. The entire population is more likely to be affected. During the period for which data was collected, the Portland MSA did not experience any days when the air was very unhealthy or hazardous.

Methodology: The Occupational Employment (OES) program uses a semi-annual survey to produce employment and wage estimates for over 800 occupations. These are estimates of the number of jobs in certain occupations, and estimates of the wages paid to them. These estimates are available for the nation as a whole, for individual States, and for metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), metropolitan divisions, and nonmetropolitan areas; national occupational estimates for specific industries are also available. The 90th Percentile is the boundary between the lowest paid 90 percent and the highest paid 10 percent of workers in that occupation. Ninety percent of the workers in a given occupation earn less than the 90th Percentile wage and 10 percent of the workers earn more than the 90th percentile wage. The data is corrected for inflation using the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro MSA Consumer Price Index.